The Campus Unified Research on Ecosystem's 'Good and Bad' Viruses (CURE) project investigates the hidden viral communities affecting campus green spaces, ornamental landscapes, and agri-food systems. By combining real-time genomic surveillance, phage-based biocontrol research, and hands-on student learning, it will generate practical tools and knowledge to support healthier, more resilient urban ecosystems on campus and beyond. We interviewed the project team to learn more about their work.
Interviewees:
- Mark Paul Selda Rivarez, Assistant Professor, Applied Biology Program, Land and Food Systems
- Phillip Beck, Head of Soft Landscape, UBC Facilities and Municipal Services
- Siyun Wang Kazun, Professor, Food, Nutrition and Health Program, Land and Food Systems
- Claire McPhee, Climate Resilience & Biodiversity Applied Research Coordinator, Campus + Community Planning
The team collectively shared their insights and answered our questions.
Q: How will the CURE project transform campus ecological health management from a reactive practice into a proactive, data-driven system?
Currently, urban landscaping management tends to be reactive: we typically seek solutions only after a tree or crop shows obvious symptoms, often too late to prevent broader ecosystem issues. CURE changes this approach by creating the first detailed baseline profile of plant and environmental viral diversity across the campus. Using portable genomic devices such as the Oxford Nanopore MinION in the field, we can perform real-time sequencing to detect potential pathogen threats, unknown variants, or asymptomatic reservoirs well before visible damage occurs. We also combine this data with an open feedback system in which landscaping teams and community members can report anomalies and request rapid molecular diagnostics. This approach transforms our process from emergency response to proactive asset protection.
Q: Can you explain the potential ecological and biosecurity advantages of using native bacteriophages over traditional chemical pesticides?
Chemical pesticides are becoming less sustainable due to stricter global environmental regulations and growing issues of chemical resistance, which reduce their long-term viability. In contrast, bacteriophages are the most abundant natural entities on Earth and serve as highly specific biological regulators. They target only particular bacterial species, leaving beneficial microbial communities untouched. From a biosecurity perspective, using native or locally co-evolved phages directly extracted from campus soil and water removes ecological uncertainties and simplifies regulatory processes associated with importing foreign biological control agents. This approach provides local solutions to local problems, resulting in an environmentally friendly impact.
Q: How will you ensure the "CURE Virus Toolkit" is accessible and practical for city facilities and environmental institutions outside of UBC?
We are mindful that academic toolkits can sometimes feel too abstract for municipal workers. To ensure the ‘CURE Virus Toolkit’ doesn't just sit on a shelf, we are co-creating it with our operational staff and partners at the University Neighbourhoods Association (UNA). The toolkit will feature highly standardized, practical protocol manuals for sampling and virus detection, specifically written for municipal park boards and regional city facilities, such as those in Vancouver or Surrey. We are also publishing our operational workflows in open-access journals and creating a permanent, user-friendly digital iNaturalist ‘Plant Health Watch’. If a city utility worker wants to implement our viral monitoring protocols, they will find an easy-to-follow blueprint rather than dense academic jargon.
Q: Could you tell us more about your plan to train students and the community to distinguish between "good" (beneficial) and "bad" (pathogenic) viruses in local ecosystems?
Our aim is to replace the public’s misconceptions of the word ‘virus’ with genuine scientific understanding. Our training process adopts a collaborative, multi-level approach. Partnering with the SEEDS Sustainability Program, undergraduate students in essential plant pathology courses like APBI 326 gain direct experience with our real-world virome sequencing data and participate in practical labs to isolate beneficial ‘good’ lytic phages. For a broader audience, including students and residents, we will implement the ‘Plant Health Watch' on iNaturalist. This initiative trains ordinary citizen scientists to identify, photograph, and geotag symptoms of crop and ornamental plant diseases, the ‘bad’ virus activity. We support this through community events such as the student-led ‘Plant Health Festival’, where attendees can appreciate the importance of plant health and of maintaining healthy, sustainable urban green spaces.
Q: Can you elaborate on how your real-time sequencing tools and diagnostic protocols could be integrated into the university's existing landscape asset management systems?
The ‘Living Lab’ model proves highly practical. In Year 2, our focus is on transitioning our diagnostic sequencing workflows from isolated laboratory procedures to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) accessible to the campus Soft Landscape Team. Specifically, we will prepare diagnostic manuals as part of the ‘CURE Virus Toolkit’ and develop digital pipelines to integrate our molecular diagnostic results with UBC’s public website. Using UBC’s Tree Database, we can associate virome or pathogen data and diagnostic alerts in case diseases are detected. This enables operations teams to receive real-time, data-driven disease management guidance directly within their work routines.